Chapter 1 Lab
Tastries Bakery under fire after
reportedly refusing to serve gay
couple
When exploring the 7 big ideas of psychology as they relate to my topic, I found that my topic correlated almost perfect with each idea. I researched a local news story about a bakery getting major backlash for refusing to create a wedding cake for a same sex couple. Despite the conversation on social media Brandon Rose, the owner of Moment Portraits says he wants to help the couple. Rose says he is offering his photography services on the couple's wedding day, free of charge.
To begin with the first big idea (we construct our own reality), the owner of Tastries believes that “participating in a celebration of a same sex marriage goes against her conscience and religious beliefs.” (“23 abc news” 1) She is concluding that the bible has given her a reason to not bake a cake for someone because of their sexual orientation. The owners have taken a different approach to handling a business because they think differently than the mass group of people in the city and the people on social media. From the text, Idea number one basically states that we react differently because we think differently. We humans have an irresistible urge to explain behavior, to attribute it to some cause, and therefore to make it seem orderly, predictable, and controllable. (textbook” 2) The bakers being a human has used religion to regulate how she behaves in reality.
Moving on to the second and third idea (our social intuitions are
powerful, sometimes perilous/attitudes shape, and are shaped by, behavior). Posts on social media have criticized Tastries Bakery for
refusing to make a wedding cake for a gay couple. Ultimately the decision of the owner cause major backlash and bad publicity. The owner of Tastries bakery was willing to sacrifice money and potential future business because of social intuitions. This ultimately brought in a third party to the situation Brandon rose. Brandon’s internal attitude on same sex equality lead him to help the same sex couple. A behavior that I would think is the right thing to do.
For the forth idea in social psychology (social influences shape
behavior) related to my topic the text states “powerfully evil situations sometimes overwhelm good intentions, including people to agree with falsehood or comply with cruelty. Our cultures help define our situations.” (2) In my opinion I think what the bakery did was an evil thing, even though the owners had good intentions in their eyes. Their religions culture defined the situation they wanted to be in. Moving on to idea number five and six (disposition shape behavior/ social behavior is also biological behavior), Brandon rose gave a great example for. Facing the same situation as the bakery, he reacted differently by helping the couple. Most human are born to love and help other, so that mixed with whatever environment that Brandon was raised around, has molded him into a person that is willing to help anyone no matter what sexual orientation.
For the final big idea (feelings and actions toward people are sometimes
negative and sometimes positive) even with everything that happens the owners of the bakery owner states "Here at Tastries, we love everyone my husband and I our Christians and we know that god created everyone and he created everyone equal so it's not that we don't like people of certain groups of people there is just certain things that violate my conscience." (1). The owners have a negative attitude toward the couple because of the marriage but are still positive outlook on human being in general. Sources:
1. 23 abc News‐ http://www.turnto23.com/news/local‐news/tastries‐ bakery‐under‐fire‐after‐reportedly‐refusing‐to‐serve‐homosexual‐couples
2. textbook‐ Myers, D. (2013), Social Psychology. (11th edition). McGraw‐Hill.